KJ MCDANIELS wasted little time in making an impact for TNT as the KaTropa routed Blackwater, 135-107, on Wednesday in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
The highly touted McDaniels had 41 points and 22 rebounds in his PBA debut, and the KaTropa earned a wire-to-wire victory over the Elite in their first game of the conference.
McDaniels, who once played for the Houston Rockets in the NBA, scored 13 points in the first quarter to lead the KaTropa to a 34-19 lead at the end of the period, and they never looked back.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr. had 39 points for the Elite but in a losing cause as they trailed by as many as 32 points in the game.
“We are happy with the win but defensively, we can’t afford to give over a hundred points,” said TNT coach Bong Ravena. “Ang goal namin is dumepensa, make stops, at walang easy lay-ups. Still trying to work on our defense especially with our new guys.”
McDaniels scored four points as the KaTropa started the game with a 6-0 lead. A 9-0 run put TNT ahead, 19-9, on its way to a rout.
The former NBA player also pulled off highlight plays including a reverse slam for a 103-85 TNT advantage late in the third period.
RR Pogoy had 22 points, while Tory Rosario added 18 points for the KaTropa.
Allein Maliksi had 15 points, while Roi Sumang had 14 points, but Blackwater import Marquis Blakely only had four points, the lowest scoring output by any import this season, according to PBA statistics head Fidel Mangonon.
The scores:
TNT 135 – McDaniels 41, Pogoy 22, Rosario 18, Trollano 17, Castro 17, Vosotros 7, De Leon 5, Magat 4, D. Semerad 4, Carey 0, Washington 0, Casino 0.
Blackwater 107 – Parks 39, Maliksi 15, Sumang 14, Belo 12, DiGregorio 11, Jose 8, Blakely 4, Alolino 2, Dario 2, Cortez 0, Sena 0, Desiderio 0, Al-Hussaini 0, Cruz 0.
Quarters: 34-19; 63-46; 97-80; 135-107.
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